Book Review: The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Enemies To Lovers, Adult
Pages: 572
Format: Ebook | Kindle Unlimited
Rating:

“Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath.” – Shakespeare. Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5.

Initial Thoughts

The Book of Azrael is a BookTok staple, and I finally got around to reading it. While I thrifted a physical copy, I’m so spoiled by e-reading that I was happy it was available on KU. I didn’t know much about this book going in. I went in blind, which has been my thing for the past couple of months. However… I’m going to make that not my thing anymore, at least for fantasy. I need to know what’s going on and where the story is going, and I’ve been getting so confused lately.

The Plot (Spoiler-Free!)

Monsters are searching for the Book of Azrael, and if they find it, all worlds will be changed forever.

Dianna isn’t a monster by choice but by circumstance. Desperate to save her dying sister, she made a deal with the most dangerous and lethal monster of all: Kaden. Forced to do his bidding for eternity, Dianna must help find the Book of Azrael — a book containing secrets about how to open sealed realms and potentially allow monsters, especially Kaden, to rule over all worlds.

Samkiel is the strongest god alive but lives a solitary life on Rashearim. Neglecting his people and responsibilities and tortured by memories of his past, Samkiel wants no part of the role he was destined for — until he’s forced to come out of hiding.

As reluctant allies but sworn enemies, Dianna and Samkiel must work together for the greater good.

What I Liked (Some Spoilers)

Let’s talk about the world-building, because there’s a lot of it. So much that I’m certain I didn’t catch everything. Shoutout to Kindle for letting me highlight every little thing I want to come back to. There are so many types of creatures and powers in this world. The lore is massive. I already want a prequel about the Gods War and what Liam (Samkiel) was like before. We get glimpses in his flashbacks, but I want more.

Dianna is a badass FMC. She knows how to fight, kills without hesitation, has witty comebacks, and carries herself with so much strength. She’s not a damsel in distress at all. People don’t save her, they need saving from her. But underneath all that, she loves her sister more than anything, and she secretly craves love. That makes her character even more interesting. I enjoyed watching her growth and seeing her more vulnerable moments.

You know I love a dual POV, and this book delivered. Watching the shift from enemies to allies to friends to lovers from both Dianna’s and Liam’s perspectives was so satisfying.

Liam feels like such a gentle giant, and he is so tortured. I don’t think I’ve ever read a character so weighed down by pain and guilt.

“The Gods War started because of me. My world is gone because of me. How is there any room left in me to love?”

“Besides, I could not die, no matter how many nights I wished for it.”

His sadness breaks my heart.

And the banter? I ate it up. Liam struggling with modern-day phrasing, like “pinky promises,” was adorable:

“You swore with a small finger that you would not leave me behind.”

And he’s unintentionally funny:

“You look like a drowned rat.”

“This is a garden? It’s terrible.”

“Even their plants are atrocious.”

Also… that ending?!?! Wowoowowowowowow. That final chapter was everything. The newscast format was so creative. I’d never seen that done before, and I loved it.

What Didn’t Work for Me (Spoilers)

This really had the potential to be a five deer-star book, but a few things held it back.

It took me a while to get into Dianna’s personality. Her need to respond to everything with a quip or a snarky line felt overdone, especially early on. I eventually got used to it, but at first it was too much.

I’ve recently realized I’m a slow burn girly. I like when the romance is developed, fought for, and longed for. I don’t like it happening in the first book. It feels too early. I don’t love characters declaring their feelings when they just met, and that happens here. However, the romance was developed well, but it would’ve hit harder if they weren’t already in love in book one.

I’m also not a fan of the miscommunication trope. It’s just so ughhhhhhh. We’re all adults — let’s talk out our problems. While some of the miscommunications made sense here, I still dislike the trope in general.

One small formatting thing: for the first two-thirds of the book, flashbacks are in italics, but then randomly they aren’t. It threw me off for a second. Not sure if that’s a Kindle issue, but it was noticeable.

Final Thoughts

I do recommend this series if you enjoy romantasy. It’s a BookTok favorite for a reason. If I didn’t have such a stacked TBR for November, I would’ve jumped straight into the sequel. The ending of this book was wild, and I’m excited to see where the series goes next.